Small Apartment Decorating

Irwin Weiner ASID - French designer Tony Lemale turns a flat French apartment into a zingier whole using bright colors, stenciling, and coordinated furnishings. I'm appreciative of the respect he showed for his client's color preferences, and the way - as the designer - that he pushed his client's envelope and went beyond the scope of her imagination. Good decorators dream bigger and see more possibilities than their clients are able to, and that's only one of the payoffs in interior design. Look at the way Lemale turned architectural weaknesses in the client's bedroom into strengths with paint colors versus remodeling and construction!

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ICFF Discoveries

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Irwin Weiner ASID - We predicted around the New Year that 2011 would be the Year of Handmade Objects for the home, and this is proven by the beautiful work Dana Barnes Design is doing with their chunky, tactile textiles and woven rugs. Depth, texture, warmth, and fresh-off-the-looms quality. Rich discoveries like these are unveiled each year at the ICFF, the International Furniture Fair - and this year's is coming up at NYC's Javits Center May 14-17. Here's a video look-back at the 2010 ICFF from the wonderful folks at StyleFactory.

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Expanding Table

Irwin Weiner ASID - There is nothing more useful than having a round dining table that expands in seconds. First, the round design is versatile and easy to decorate around. The shape is nicer to sit around and more engaging for conversation. We loved the DB Fletcher Capstan Table, which unlocks from underneath and rotates to a more open, larger tabletop surface! It easily folds back down to its smaller round area, too. Watch the demo video and check out the DB Fletcher website (a great UK bespoke furniture maker) for more information. 

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Favorite 2010 Retailer: Two Buttons

      

Irwin Weiner ASID - Our D2S award for Best Home Goods Retailer in 2010 goes enthusiastically to Two Buttons in Frenchtown, NJ. This is the house that Eat Pray Love built, the best-selling memoir and hit movie from writer Elizabeth Gilbert.

Liz and her Brazilian husband Jose have spared no expense converting a warehouse into a treasure trove of goodies from Asia. The recent addition of gemstones and exotic jewelry heighten the appeal, and the warehouse building also hosts natural-food destination Lovin' Oven. Shop in December while you can because Two Buttons closes each year in January and February as the staff travels to Asia to gather fresh inventory for 2011.

 

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